<Begin Segment 81>

TI: So at this point, let's go to, after the war, the Japanese had surrendered and one of the things that you did was you had access to prisoner of war camps and the lists. And in particular, you came across a list that had a name that you recognized. Why don't you tell us about and who that was and...

RM: Okay, then war ended so no more activity, so I asked commanding officer, "Is it alright to visit Kunming?" And I could ride and hitchhike, hitched on the cargo plane. So he says it's alright. I get permission to go back Kunming and as soon as got Kunming, General Boatner, Hayden Boatner, spotted me, and, "You come with me," he says. So I'm not going back to OSS. And so took me and then went to place called Chinkiang, and as his personal interpreter, and secretly negotiated with the Japanese to surrender, then where, and so, and decided to, Japanese to surrender at Nanking, China, the whole capital of Nationalist, but this puppet regime had capital there in Nanking so that's where they're gonna surrender. So I, we arrange and I interpret for General, General -- I mean, Admiral Fukuda of Imperial Japanese Fleet was their representative. Then, so I was, accomplished that mission anyway then decided have. Then they had a surrender, formal surrender activities and the surrender ceremony at Nanking, China, and Ho Ying and our generals went down there and General Lucas, and anyway I attended that, too.

But then after that, they're gonna have a war crime trial so since I was there so therefore they appoint me to investigate, and so helped at the tribunal. And they wanted me to go find out, look and see the unit roster and also passenger list to be repatriate to Japan. But meantime their prisoners surrender, so they kept in the compound like a schoolhouses or playground or whatever and certain unit were segregated certain place. So they gave me the list of names who belong to a unit, happened to be 5th Division and I went through and looking for certain names because name was given a suspect who might have committed crime. So going through, then I saw the familiar name and the ring to me, happened to be name was Yoro Omoto. Then that's a similar name, you know, I had a relative there and then I know his name was Japanese, Yoro but his name was Harry Omoto and he happened to be my second cousin and so I commandeered the jeep and Chinese interpreter and he, driver, he know where the camp was so we went there, then at the guard and gate tell him, "I want to interview this man." So they thought the MP or, I wore a MP band and so, armband and went there so they thought I'm coming after him, and he thought he was one of the criminals they picked up because everybody has a guilty conscience of minor crime they committed. So they're aware of that so they thought right away he was one of the suspect. But, so I give 'em a name and get him and as he turn around the corner he came, he spotted me even though I'm in uniform, he recognized me and he says Hiroshi Niisan, that means "elder brother Hiroshi." I'm not a brother but I'm closer than brother because he lived with me in Los Angeles before he was inducted in the Japanese army.

TI: So this was, this was the Harry Omoto that was going to UCLA, lived with you --

RM: Yes.

TI: -- and got the scholarship.

RM: Didn't I mention about that before?

TI: Right, you got all that.

RM: Yes, I was working for the grocery store and he commuted from my house to, I mean, my apartment to Westwood.

TI: Right. So he must've been really happy to see you.

RM: Oh, he happy to see and not -- see, he saw me in not the regular military police looking after him. Happened to be I went down there to see it's him or not, but I know sure because then I look at down there what the domicile was. Then he was from Hiroshima, so I know it's him.

TI: But he also shared with you some important information, too. Not only was it good to see him --

RM: Yeah, that's right. So he asked the first thing is, he thought, he thought I thought, I believed that my parents were perished because of atomic bomb. But he knew the fact that was evacuated that place and went to countryside where my grandfather and grandmother was. The reason was that they been old age and ill so try to take care. Meantime, as I said before, my father was a photographer and had a studio but the material, film and everything, army, navy had a priority so couldn't get in the ration so he quit and then he went. So that was his luck that survived the atomic bomb.

TI: So that must've been really good news to hear that --

RM: And that was good news. Then another thing, well, another thing is, "Your brother survived." He says he's in the other unit and gave me the unit number where he's located. So I saw him. Then went there to find out what my family was doing and everything. So that was a great relief for me. So, then I find out from him. Then he, I didn't know him because when I left Japan he was a small kid, and that's just started, I think, elementary school or something like that. So, but he knew me because I'm already grown up.

TI: So Roy, we just have like a minute left on a tape and I just want to end this with... one of the things that you did with your younger brother was, you gave him some advice that was important that helped him at this point. What was that piece of advice you gave him?

RM: Well, I, when I met him he asked me, "What should I do? Because gonna be discharged but I have no skill, no job and I don't know what to do." Well, I tell you that see, "You in the army and what kind of job you doin' it, you could be doin' it for long time because there will be a repatriation, the people, soldier all surrender coming back then you have to make a tally of accountability and who's missing then ask 'em his name and check off the repatriate, and didn't come back, is whether he got killed or missing or whatever. So you be doin' that -- "

TI: So the piece of advice you gave him was, "Stay in the army" --

RM: So that's why I got --

TI: -- "because you'd have a job there," because if he went back to Japan there would be nothing there for work and it'd be easier for him.

RM: Yeah, So then he follow that and fortunately, he doin' that and later on lotta prisoners came back from Siberia but even though he's out of army, he's doin' the job and he was transferred to Welfare Department and then when he quit, he retired he was way up in the chief so good pay and good family security and he appreciate that.

<End Segment 81> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.